Background and Aims Different seed dormancy classes control the timing of germination via different cues. The ecological dissimilarities between classes therefore suggest that they are likely to be subject to different selective pressures, and that species within each class will have diverse functional responses. We aimed to investigate this by assessing how variation in the distribution of dormancy classes is correlated with regional environmental factors, in particular rainfall seasonality and temperature. Additionally, we compare the relative proportions of species with physiological (PD) or physical (PY) dormancy to assess whether dormancy class influences their ability to persist under different rainfall seasonality regimes. Methods Dormancy class was assigned for 3990 species from 281 genera occurring across two climate regions, with either winter or aseasonal rainfall, across temperate fire-prone Australia. All regions have similar vegetation and fire regimes. Using a Bayesian framework, we compared the distribution of dormancy classes across temperature and rainfall climate gradients, for threatened and common species. Key Results A high dormant:non-dormant species ratio highlighted the critical role of dormancy across our study regions. Critically, species showing PD were more likely to be threatened in aseasonal rainfall climate regions. Conclusions Our results support the assumption that dormancy is favoured in environments with stochastic disturbance

In fire-prone regions, many plant species rely on persistent seed banks for post-fire recovery. Understanding dormancy and germination cues is, therefore, important to predict population response. However, the germination ecology of species with physiologically dormant seeds in fire-prone regions is complex. We used the endangered species Asterolasia buxifolia, from riparian habitat in fire-prone south-eastern Australia, to investigate physiologically dormant seeds and their response to fire. We assessed whether fire cues alone promoted germination, or whether seasonal factors and light also played a role. Additionally, we tested the resilience of seeds to heat-shock temperatures produced in soil during fire, so as to identify potential factors that restrict such species to fire refugia. Seeds germinated only at winter seasonal temperatures, and had an obligate smoke and light requirement. Heat-shock treatments above 80°C slowed the germination rate. Smoke-related germination and the tolerance of A. buxifolia seeds to high fire-related temperatures demonstrated that recruitment dynamics can be driven by fire; however, germination is restricted to winter temperatures. This highlights the potential that changes to fire season may have on population persistence. The slow germination rate caused by heat, and a light requirement, may contribute to restricting this species to riparian habitat.

. (2017). Do introduced honeybees affect seed set and seed quality in a plant adapted for bird pollination?. Journal of Plant Ecology, 10 (4), 721-729. Do introduced honeybees affect seed set and seed quality in a plant adapted for bird pollination? Abstract Aims: Worldwide, evidence suggests that exotic pollinators can disrupt plant mating patterns. However, few studies have determined if pollination by the honeybee Apis mellifera (the world's most widely introduced pollinator) reduces offspring quality when compared with pollination by native birds. The Australian Proteaceae provide an excellent opportunity to test the impact of honeybees in pollination systems that are adapted to birds and non-flying mammals. Methods:We compared the frequency of flower visitation and foraging behaviour of birds and insects within seven populations of Banksia ericifolia. Banksia ericifolia is hermaphroditic and has large nectar-rich, orange inflorescences typical of bird and mammal pollinated species. For a subset of the study populations, we compared the quality of seed produced via an exclusion treatment (that only allowed invertebrates to access flowers) with an open-pollination treatment (potentially visited by mammals, birds and invertebrates), by measuring seed weight, germination rates (T50), percent germination, seedling height after 14 days since the emergence of the cotyledon and time to emergence of the cotyledon.Important Findings: Apis mellifera was the only apparent insect pollinator and the most frequent flower visitor, while the open treatment inflorescences were also frequently visited by avian pollinators, primarily honeyeater species. The foraging behaviour of honeybees and honeyeaters showed striking differences that potentially affect patterns of pollen transfer. Honeybees made significantly greater proportions of within cf. among plant movements and only 30% (n=48) of honeybees foraged for pollen (nectar foragers carried no pollen) whilst all birds were observed to contact both stigmas and anthers when foraging for nectar. Despite these fundamental differences in behaviour, there was little effect of treatment on seed set or quality. Our data show that while honeybees appear to alter patterns of pollen transfer within B. ericifolia populations, they do not impact reproductive rates or performance of early life-stages. an excellent opportunity to test the impact of honeybees in pollination systems that are adapted to birds and non-flying mammals. MethodsWe compared the frequency of flower visitation and foraging behaviour of birds and insects within seven populations of Banksia ericifolia. Banksia ericifolia is hermaphroditic and has large nectar-rich, orange inflorescences typical of bird and mammal pollinated species. For a subset of the study populations, we compared the quality of seed produced via an exclusion treatment (that only allowed invertebrates to access flowers) with an open-pollination treatment (potentially visited by mammals, birds and invertebrates), by measuring seed weight, germinati...

For physiologically dormant (PD) species in fire-prone environments, dormancy can be both complex due to the interaction between fire and seasonal cues, and extremely deep due to long intervals between recruitment events. Due to this complexity, there are knowledge gaps particularly surrounding the dormancy depth and cues of long-lived perennial PD species. This can be problematic for both in situ and ex situ species management. We used germination experiments that tested seasonal temperature, smoke, dark and heat for 18 PD shrub species distributed across temperate fire-prone Australia and assessed how germination was correlated with environmental factors associated with their home environments. We found extremely high levels of dormancy, with only eight species germinating above 10% and three species producing no germination at all. Seven of these eight species had quite specific seasonal temperature requirements and/or very strong responses to smoke cues. The maximum germination for each species was positively correlated with the mean temperature of the source population but negatively correlated with rainfall seasonality and driest months. The strong dependence on a smoke cue for some of the study species, along with examples from other studies, provides evidence that an obligate smoke response could be a fire-adapted germination cue. Germination response correlated with rainfall season of the source populations is a pattern which has often been assumed but little comparative data across sites with different rainfall seasonality exists. Further investigation of a broader range of species from different rainfall season environments would help to elucidate this knowledge gap.